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Thursday, May 11, 2017

Stone Magic and Magic Pyramids for Savage Rifts

Stone Magic

Stone Magic is an ancient form of magical technology, related conceptually to Techno-wizardry. Stone Masters are, at the simplest level, able to manipulate stone; mold it, move it, and shape it. However, with the proper materials, Stone Masters can create a wide variety of “traditional” powers, and, working together, can create massive stone pyramids; works of magical technology that heal people, extend their lives, and even piercing dimensions. All True Atlanteans are taught how to use Stone Magic technology; only true Stone Mages (those with the Arcane Background: Stone Magic) and Stone Masters (those with the Stone Master Iconic Framework) can manipulate the stone and call forth powers.NOTE: This was edited on 2017/5/15 to reflect some great feedback I got on the Palladium Message Boards.

Powers available to Stone Mages

All who have the Arcane Background: Stone Master begin with the powers of Elemental Manipulation: Earth (or, more accurately, Stone) and a limited form of the power Telekinesis, which will only function on stone. These powers may be used as normal for powers; they require only the expenditure of PPE and a roll of the Stone Magic skill. With the New Power Edge, Stone Mages may also learn Armor, Barrier, Blast, Bolt, Burrow, Burst, Entangle, Havoc, Pummel, Slow, Stun, and Wall Walker, all with the trapping of Stone; there must be sufficient natural stone present to make use of the powers; Wall Walker will only go up stone walls, Armor will cover the Stone Mage in stony armor, Entangle will wrap hands of stone around its victims, and so on. Most of these powers require a volume of stone equal to the size of the caster or the area of effect to enact; you can only create a Blast if there is enough stone to manage a Medium Burst template.

Stone Mages may use any power, however, by drawing them forth from gems and crystals. Different types of gems and crystals contain different powers; some have several powers associated with them, and others have only one. Small gems can only be used this way only once, large gems may be used twice; raises may be allocated to improve the power, or to not use up the gem (or both, if you get enough raises). Likewise, additional uses may be drawn from the gem, with each extra use adding +2 to the Stone Magic roll; thus, someone with a large gem may use it entirely in a single roll, if they like, gaining +6 to the roll (1 use to power the spell, the 3 other uses converting to +6). Powers called forth from gems do not need to be learned, nor are they limited by rank, only to hold the gem itself, spend the PPE, and roll the Stone Magic skill. A failure of the Stone Magic skill normally only means that the magic was not enacted. If the skill die is a 1, however, the use of the gem is still consumed. When a gem is used up, it crumbles at the end of the spell’s duration.

Stone Pyramid Magic

Stone Pyramids are massive structures built upon ley lines and ley line nexuses, controlling their vast power and channelling it into more useful endeavors. They are the work of years, or massive numbers of workers; even small pyramids are no less than hundred feet tall, and the largest pyramids top a thousand. The pyramids are seldom solid, instead containing a warren of tunnels and galleries, and often sitting atop further underground complexes. Their faces, however, must be solid planes.

Stone pyramids have a number of passive abilities that require no magic energy, and little to no skill with Stone Magic. True Atlanteans, Stone Mages, and Stone Masters who sleep in a pyramid do not age; sleeping in a nexus pyramid every night for a year adds a year to their lifespan; they must sleep there for two years to add a single year to their lifespan if only located on a ley line. Stone Mages and Stone masters who sleep in a pyramid may make a natural healing roll every day. Humans, True Atlanteans, and other human offshoots (Ogres, Amazons, etc.) who sleep in a pyramid may make two natural healing rolls a week; dragons find their already impressive healing abilities doubled (for Flame Wind Hatchlings, for example, this is two per day, or two per round if they have the Fast Regeneration hatchling advance. All who sleep in the pyramid gain a +2 to natural healing rolls. Stone Masters and Stone Mages can also place themselves in stasis sleep, aging only one week per ten years of sleep. While inside or in contact with a pyramid, everyone who uses PPE for magic is considered to be on a ley line or nexus (as appropriate) for the purposes for recovering PPE and using magic.

Some abilities of pyramids are available to any with skill in Stone Magic, including True Atlanteans. With a Stone Magic roll, anyone skilled in Stone Magic can leave messages for others who come to the pyramid, or communicate with other pyramids through full-sized holograms; this can function even across dimensions, if they know the destination pyramid. Stone magic can also be used to teleport to any other stone pyramid on the planet; this teleportation takes only a single action, and can be as specific as a single person, or up to two dozen people or fifty tons of material. If one knows of a pyramid in another dimension, one can even teleport there, but it will require two rounds of concentration. All of these abilities require being inside or in contact with the pyramid, and a successful roll of the Stone magic skill.

Stone Pyramids function as a control on the power of ley lines and nexuses. A pyramid prevents the use of Ley Line energy within one mile for every foot of height of the pyramid… along every ley line it is connected to, if located at a nexus. That massive power is instead directed and stored within the pyramid itself, to power the pyramid’s own magical abilities. Stone Mages (those with the Arcane Background: Stone Magic) and Stone Masters (those with the Iconic Framework) can tap this energy if inside or in direct contact with the pyramid; their Stone Magic skill rolls receive a +2 if the pyramid is located on a leyline, and +4 if located on a nexus. Other users of magic are only granted access to the power of the ley line or nexus if they are in contact with the pyramid itself.

This control over the power of ley lines and nexuses extends to ley line storms and rifts. If the GM is randomly determining the presence of ley line storms, they will only occur on a draw of the King of Clubs if near a ley line; if near a nexus, the chance is only that of the Kings. A Stone Mage or Stone Master can also completely cancel a storm if they like, by making a Stone Magic roll at -4. A Stone Mage or Stone Master can also create a Ley Line storm, again with a Stone Magic roll at -4. The storm will last ten minutes times the result of their Stone Magic roll, but that will also drain the pyramid of magic for six hours; only healing, life extension, and stasis will function during that time. Stone pyramids can also be used by Stone Mages and Stone Masters to control the mundane weather in their immediate area, with a Stone Magic roll at -2. These all require being inside or in contact with the pyramid.

If a random Rift opens, it can be closed with a Stone Magic roll at -4, though this will take 2D4 rounds. This same ability can be used to open a Rift to a specific location, but that requires the Stone Mage or Stone Master to roll at -4. Rifts so created are small, Easy rifts, that will last 1 minute times the Stone Magic roll. Creating a medium or large rift inflict an additional -2 and -4 penalty. These all require being inside or in contact with the pyramid.

Most pyramids are “Open”; that is, anyone may call upon their abilities. This can pose some difficulties, when any Stone Mage or Master might step onto a pyramid and summon a ley line storm, draining the pyramid for hours. To prevent this, some pyramids will be controlled; this requires a Stone Mage or Stone Master inside the pyramid to remain on-guard and counter unauthorized actions. While on guard, the base difficulty for any action they do not allow increases to one-half their Stone Magic skill plus two; with a d8 skill, the base difficulty becomes 6, and the Stone Mage or Master can actively try to prevent one non-passive ability per action with an opposed Stone Magic test. An opposed Stone Magic test can usurp control of a pyramid, but it must be made against all Stone Mages on defense. The Splugorth will frequently have several Stone Mages on duty to prevent unauthorized use. Even this control, however, will not prevent incoming teleports, messages, or Rifts; those must be individually seen to.

New Trapping

*Stone: The stone trapping has a two-fold effect. The first is that any power with the stone trapping requires an amount of stone to use; for the Bolt power, this might only be a small amount, but the Burrow power would require an uninterrupted path of stone to travel through. Stone, however, endures, so non-instant spells with the stone trapping have their duration increased by 1. Instant spells may be cast at 1 less PPE (minimum 1), as they merely make use of existing material.

Special: True Atlanteans who are Stone Mages begin with d8 in Stone Magic, not d4.

Pyramid Defense

Requirements: Arcane Background: Stone Magic, Spirit d6

The character is skilled in preventing unauthorized use of pyramids. Their passive pyramid defense improves to half their Stone magic roll plus three, and they have an additional +2 to opposed rolls to retain control of a pyramid (they do not get that bonus to take control of a pyramid, only to retain control.

Further experience increases the above bonuses to half Stone Magic plus four, and +4 to retain control of a pyramid.

Improved Gem Powers

Requirements: Arcane Background: Stone Magic

The character is skilled at drawing powers from Gems; they receive a +1 to Stone Magic to draw powers from Gems. When drawing more power from a gem, the character receives a +3 per additional use burned, instead of +2.

Stone Master (Iconic Framework)

There are many Stone Mages in the world; those who have learned Stone Magic and make use of it in their daily lives. Stone Masters, however, have made the study of stone their lives. Ley Line Walkers like to pretend that they have mastered Ley Lines; Stone Masters can control the ley line in ways a Walker can only dream of, and open Rifts with an ease that Shifters might envy. Sure, it requires thousands of tons of stone, but with that, a Stone Master might live forever, blessing his people with clement weather and safety from the ravages of the Rifts.

THE STONE MASTER HERO’S JOURNEY (FIVE ROLLS)

Stone Master gain three rolls on any of the following tables: Enchanted Items & Mystic Gadgets, Education, Experience & Wisdom, and Magic & Mysticism. They also get two rolls on any table of their choice, except for Psionics or Cybernetics.

STONE MASTER’S ABILTIES AND BONUSES

*Arcane Background: Stone Magic. Stone Masters begin with the three standard powers of Stone Magic (Elemental Manipulation, Telekinesis of Stone, and Gem Powers), and five other powers from the list of stone powers above. They have 15 PPE and a d8 in the Stone magic skill; True Atlantean Stone Mages begin with a d10 in Stone magic, or a d12 if they also have a d12 Spirit.

*Gemology. Stone Masters are better able to use Gem Magic. For them, small gems have 2 uses, and large gems have 4 uses. While most Gem powers do not have trappings, a Stone Master may add the Stone trapping to any Gem Power for free, or any non-necromantic standard trapping to a Gem power for 1 additional PPE, plus any cost of the trapping itself.

*Master of Magic. Stone Masters have the Master of Magic edge, gaining Mega Powers for all of their known spells, and for all Gem Powers. They gain Rapid Recharge edge, as well.

*Pyramid Magic. Stone Masters begin with the Pyramid Defense edge. Furthermore, they receive a +2 to all rolls to interact with or control a pyramid’s magic. If the pyramid is not locked, they do not spend PPE while in contact or inside a pyramid.

STONE MASTER COMPLICATIONS

*Cybernetics: Stone Masters are prevented from using cybernetics, much like other users of magic. Every point of Strain imposes a 1 point penalty on the Stone Magic skill.

*Enemies: Stone Masters, like all users of magic, are “Shoot on sight” for the Coalition. Unless they are specifically allied to the Splugorth, the Splugorth also consider them priority targets, as well, given their potential to disrupt the Splugorth’s pyramid-centered cities.

*Shackled to Stone: Stone Masters suffer immensely while away from stone, or deprived of gems. While they have great power when surrounded by rock or on a pyramid, they are nearly helpless when away from it.